Snacks

Snacks

Quinoa Peanut Butter Crunch Cups

In the recipe, puffed quinoa is coated in a rich mixture of peanut butter, coconut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. That nutty mixture is then spooned into muffin liners and popped into the freezer to set. After an hour or so, you’ll have crunchy, peanut-buttery, and addictive little cups of goodness. These crave-worthy peanut butter cups are sweet enough for dessert, yet totally pre and post workout snack-approved.

All of my bunnies know that I love making recipes as simple as possible, and simple to me means as few ingredients as possible. This recipe only contains 6 ingredients and I bet you have more than half of them at your house right now!

Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-1 Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-2Now before anyone asks, “do I have to go out and buy coconut butter? Isn’t it the same as coconut oil?” let me give you the 411! At one point, I thought they were the same thing. I thought that when coconut oil was at its solid form it was considered coconut butter and when it was melted and liquid it was considered coconut oil. Well I was wrong! No shame!

Coconut oil is JUST the oil that is extracted from the meat of a coconut. Coconut butter is the whole meat of the coconut pureed into a creamy butter. If you’re curious, coconut meat (by nature) is approximately 65% oil! So there it is folks, coconut butter has the flesh of the coconut in it! Look at the difference in the photo above (coconut butter on the left, and coconut oil on the right).

Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-3*You can purchase puffed quinoa at specialty health food stores but it’s kind of tricky to find and it may be a bit on the pricier side, so in this post I’m showing you how to make your own puffed/popped quinoa! Heat a large stock pot over medium heat (I have an induction stove, and I set my heat to level 6 out of 9). Once the pot is hot, pour a small amount (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan as seen in the photo below) of pre-rinsed and dried quinoa over the bottom of the pan. Gently swirl the quinoa around with a wooden spoon as it pops (this helps prevent burning). You’ll notice that the quinoa has a very quiet little crackle pop, and its popped state is only the tiniest bit larger than its unpopped state (nothing like popcorn!). Once your first round of quinoa has popped (a minute or two), pour it into a bowl and repeat until you have 1½ cups. I like to have a bowl of unpopped quinoa ready to pour into the pot, and then a bowl on the other side for the puffed quinoa to go into when it has finished popping.

1½ cups of unpinned quinoa is pretty darn close to 1½ cups of puffed quinoa in the end since there is barely any difference in size once it has puffed!

Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-4 Quinoa-Peanut-Butter-Crunch-Cups-5 Above is a photo of unpopped quinoa to the left and popped or puffed quinoa on the right. See how there is a very slight difference in size, but the little ring inside has expanded?

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Quinoa Peanut Butter Crunch Cups
By Blissful Basil
Makes 12 crunch cups

1½ cups puffed quinoa*
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp peanut butter
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp coconut butter
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1½ Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Puff quinoa over a stove as described underneath photos above and set aside.* In a saucepan over low heat, combine the peanut butter, coconut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Next, turn off the stove and pour the puffed quinoa into the melted peanut butter mixture. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners. Scoop 2 tablespoons of the quinoa mixture into each muffin liner and smooth the tops with a spoon if needed. Place the muffin tin in the freezer for 1 hour to set. Once the cups have set, they can be transferred to the refrigerator to store. Do not leave at room temperature or they will melt!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown:
Produce: none
Whole Grain: quinoa
Protein: none
Plant Based Fat: peanut butter, coconut butter, and coconut oil

Rabbit Food Meal Tip: 1 Quinoa Peanut Butter Crunch Cup is 2 tablespoons of plant based fat and a small serving of whole grain. Enjoy this with an apple and glass of soy milk to make it a Rabbit Food Approved meal! Or blend some fruit and soy milk together with some ice as a smoothie.

Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

P.S. I joined Snapchat!!! Open up Snapchat on your phone and take a photo of the image below to instantly add me to your Snapchat friends! Or add me the old fashioned way 🙂
I’ll be sharing behind the scenes photos and videos of me cooking, working on my blog, working out, and probably lots of super cute pictures of my corgi, Teddy!
Snapchat: @EatRabbitFood

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20 Medjool Date Recipes // National #MedjoolDateDay

Today is National Medjool Date Day! To celebrate this naturally sweet holiday, I’ve gathered all of my super sweet recipes for you! I knew I used Medjool dates a lot, but WOW, I didn’t realize just how often I used them in my recipes! As you guys know, you will never find any recipes containing refined sugar on my blog, so Medjool dates make the perfect choice for most of my creations!

If you didn’t already know about Nature’s power fruit…
Natural Delights™ Medjool Dates, named an official “heart healthy” food by the American Heart Association, are low-medium on the glycemic index and packed full of fiber and potassium (50% more, by weight, than a banana) – making them perfect for boosting energy, satisfying hunger and helping with muscle recovery. Their caramel-like taste, consistency and natural sweetness gives them an advantage over refined sugars in recipes and pre- and post-workout snacks. Medjool dates are also gluten-free, Vegan, Halal and Kosher, making them perfect for nearly every diet.

Explore all of my sweet & savory Medjool date recipes, plus scroll all the way to the bottom for information about tonight’s #MedjoolDateDay Twitter Party brought to you by @NDmedjooldates for a fun Medjool convo with fellow blogger and host @CoryanneEttiene and a chance to win some awesome prizes (um, I heard there’s really cool fitness gear!) from Natural Delights™ Medjool Dates!

Meddjol-Dates-Lightened-Up-Date-ShakeLightened Up Date Shake

Medjool-Date-BBQ-SauceMedjool Date BBQ Sauce

Medjool-Date-Black-Bean-BrowniesBlack Bean Brownies

Medjool-Date-Brownie-BitesRaw Brownie Bites
Medjool-Date-Caramel-Date-SauceCaramel Date Sauce

Medjool-Date-Cashew-Cookie-Larabr{Copycat} Cashew Cookie Larabars
Medjool-Date-Chocolate-Chip-Chickpea-CookiesChocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies

Medjool-Date-Chocomole-1Chocomole

Medjool-Date-Crunchy-Chia-BitesCrunchy Chia Energy Bites

Medjool-Date-Espresso-Chocolate-Avocado-Mousse-6Espresso Chocolate Mousse

Medjool-Date-Hail-To-the-Kale-Salad-DressingHail To the Kale Salad & Dressing

Medjool-Date-Healthy-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie-Dough-DipHealthy Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Medjool-Date-Mini-Vegan-Pumpkin-Pies-1Mini Vegan Pumpkin Pies

Medjool-Date-Olive-Date-Tapenade-1Olive Date Tapenade

Medjool-Date-Peanute-Butte-rand-Jelly-SmoothiePB&J Medjool Date Smoothie

Medjool-Date-Raw-BitesRaw Bites

Medjool-Date-Raw-Gingerbread-MenRaw Gingerbread Men

Medjool-Date-Valentines-Day-Cookie-SandwichesValentine’s Day Cookie Sandwiches

Medjool-Date-Vegan-Banana-BreadVegan Banana Bread

Medjool-Date-Vegan-EggnogVegan Eggnog

National-Medjool-Date-Dat-2015-Twitter-Party

To mark the holiday, Natural Delights™ is partnering with blogger and power-Tweeter Coryanne Ettiene for a one-hour Twitter party TODAY Feb. 4 at 5pm PST/8pm EST. Guests who participate in the conversation by tagging @CoryanneEttiene, @NDMedjoolDates and using #MedjoolDateDay will have the opportunity to win more than $1,200 in fitness prizes, as well as downloading recently added recipes.

Don’t forget to tag @NDMedjoolDates@CoryanneEttiene and use #MedjoolDateDay!!!

Dole Spinach Hummus & Pita Christmas Trees + Giveaway

Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-10Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-1 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-4Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-2 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-3Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-5 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-6 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-8 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-9Seasons green-ings little bunnies! Christmas is approaching and it’s time to think outside of the box, I mean bowl (salad bowl, that is!) for creative healthy holiday appetizers! I created these adorable Christmas tree appetizers out of pita bread, pretzel sticks, homemade spinach hummus (made with Dole Baby Spinach), and red bell peppers as decorations. There is no cooking required, which makes it a win in my book, plus they’re great for kids and adults. These adorable little appies will be the talk of any holiday party! Lettuce celebrate! ha ha ha!

Dole Spinach Hummus & Pita Christmas Trees
Makes about 1 1/4 cup of hummus
Each pita round makes 8 “trees”

Dole Spinach Hummus
2 cups Dole Baby Spinach, packed
1 cup chickpeas
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 – 1 whole clove garlic
pinch of sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until evenly mixed. Scrape down the sides of food processor with a spatula occasionally if needed.

Christmas Trees
whole grain pita bread
pretzel sticks
1 red bell pepper

Cut each round of pita bread into 8 triangles. Gently poke a pretzel stick into the bottom end of each pita using a twisting motion. Spread a thin layer of spinach hummus on each piece of pita. Thinly slice and chop the bell pepper into small pieces and decorate the pita trees (like tinsel or garland).

For more healthy holiday recipes, try Dole’s Laurel RougeWinter Citrus SaladButternut Hummus Tartine with Parmesan, and Green Pancakes with Pear-Lime Relish!

Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Must use a valid email address to enter. Must be a US resident to enter. Giveaway ends on Sunday, December 21st at 11:59 PM (PST).
1 winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, December 22nd.

This post has been sponsored by Dole. I received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Evolution Fresh Green Lemonade

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite little afternoon refreshers. I work from home on my computer, surrounded by food, while creating new recipes for my blog, as well as brands that I work with – so sometimes it gets tricky to not eat everything that I make. I will usually sip on a green juice while I’m working in the kitchen to keep myself from shall I say… over sampling recipes, but I’ve noticed that I drink them pretty quickly and then start snacking and munching on the recipes even though I’m not hungry – just out of habit. That’s why I’ve started making green juice ice cubes and enjoying them in fresh lemonade!

When I freeze my fav Evolution Fresh Sweet Greens cold-pressed juice and pour lemonade over it, I sip on it much slower while the green juice cubes defrost into the lemonade and give it a healthier and earthier flavor! It’s really refreshing and it’s a simple way to get a daily dose of greens! It’s also a great way to introduce green juice to kids if you’re looking for ideas!

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Evolution-Fresh-Sweet-Greens-Cold-Pressed-Ice-Cube-Lemonade-9
Green Lemonade
Seves 1-2 (if you like sharing!)

1 bottle Evolution Fresh Sweet Greens with Lemon
1 cup RFFMBT Naturally Sweetened Lemonade

Shake Evolution Fresh green juice well. Pour green juice in an ice tray and freeze over night. Fill a glass with ice cubes and then fill to the top with lemonade. Start sipping and enjoy as the green juice starts to defrost into the lemonade. Add lemonade as desired.

RFFMBT Naturally Sweetened Lemonade

6 fresh lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon Liquid Stevia (Lemon Drop Flavor is my favorite for this recipe)
4 cups of water
1 cup ice cubes

Caramel Date Sauce

Greetings from Dallas!
Do any of my bunnies have suggestions for some restaurants or shops I should visit?
I always love visiting Texas because everyone here is so sweet.
Speaking of sweet, I have a sweet treat for y’all today!

Fall is the time for candy apples, bathed in gooey caramel! This caramel date sauce is soooo easy to make and so perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth (like myself)! Dip apple slices in it for a sweet snack, or add it on top of your yogurt! My Caramel Date Sauce is vegan, gluten free, refined sugar-free, and low fat, so go ahead, indulge!

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Caramel Date Sauce

1 cup Medjool dates, packed
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Remove pits from dates. Place dates and water in a jar or container and soak overnight or about 6 hours. Transfer the dates and their soaking water to a food processor and add the vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.

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